Supply Chain Leadership Degree Apprentice
GKN AEROSPACE SERVICES LIMITED
Bristol (BS35 4GG)
Closes in 27 days (Monday 3 August 2026)
Posted on 6 July 2026
Contents
Summary
Are you curious, ambitious, and ready to start your career in a fast-paced, global environment? This is your opportunity to earn a degree, gain hands-on experience, and help shape the future of aerospace supply chains— all while getting paid.
- Wage
-
£23,500 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Earn while you learn — a starting salary of £23,500 and no student debt!
Fully funded degree with real-world supply chain experience
Industry-leading pension (up to 20%) and life assurance (8x salary) - Training course
- Supply chain leadership professional (integrated degree) (level 6)
- Hours
-
Flexible working hours, including early finish on Fridays.
Shifts to be confirmed.
35 hours a week
- Start date
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Thursday 1 October 2026
- Duration
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4 years
- Positions available
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1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
As a Supply Chain Leadership Degree Apprentice, you will rotate across key areas including Projects, Planning, Logistics, and Customer & Part Management.
During the programme, you will:
- Support production planning and scheduling, ensuring materials and resources meet delivery requirements
- Assist with demand forecasting, inventory planning, and capacity management
- Work with logistics teams to manage inbound and outbound flows, including transport and warehouse operations
Support customer and part management, resolving shortages and supply chain disruptions - Analyse supply chain performance data to identify trends and improvement opportunities
- Contribute to continuous improvement and transformation projects
- Collaborate with Procurement, Operations, and Quality to solve cross-functional challenges
- Maintain accurate data within systems such as ERP/SAP
- Develop a strong understanding of end-to-end supply chain operations
You’ll build knowledge and capability in:
- End-to-end supply chain planning and operations
- Demand forecasting, inventory optimisation, and capacity management
- Logistics and global material flow management
- Data analysis and ERP systems (e.g. SAP)
- Continuous improvement approaches such as Lean principles
- How supply chains enable on-time delivery and customer satisfaction
- The importance of collaboration, quality, and operational performance
Where you'll work
Western Approach Distribution Park
Severn Beach
Bristol
BS35 4GG
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY
Training course
Supply chain leadership professional (integrated degree) (level 6)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Determine benefits of insourcing, offshoring or outsourcing
- Gather, analyse, interpret and use data from across the supply chain to propose and make effective decisions
- Source and plan optimal transport solutions
- Actively integrate and use data across enterprise lines
- Develop differentiated supply chain strategies aligned to relevant business unit or function to achieve long-term sustainable growth
- Use end customer insight to design and evaluate end-to-end supply chain networks
- Use current market and product information to influence and challenge supply chain network design
- Leverage, and capitalise on, supply chain assets to deliver financial targets
- Drive cost efficiencies and service level improvements through the distribution network
- Practise in a sustainable and ethical way all sourcing and buying decisions
- Control information and material flow on-time and in-full
- Apply relevant inventory control techniques and tools
- Articulate ways to minimise costs and deploy Lean principles while optimising service
- Introduce strategies for managing inventory optimisation and rationalisation across the extended supply chain
- Implement change in the supply chain in response to changes in production, scheduling and demand
- Collaborate with manufacturing functions to meet criteria of quality, time and continuity
- Manage distribution and logistics networks, inbound and outbound
- Evolve alternative supply chains to ensure resilience and continuity of supply
- Design activities for receiving, put-away, storage, replenish, order-picking and dispatch
- Identify next-generation software and manage potentially disruptive technologies
- Match innovation in IT with business needs including global sourcing and the international trade context
- Meet the challenge of technology selection, development, implementation and application
- Give guidance on meeting environmental and legal requirements and maintain a high regard for risk identification and reduction, and safety management
- Articulate business purpose and values and establish key accountabilities for contract formation and negotiation
- Introduce innovative distribution, delivery and return methods while managing risk
- Implement the 7 "R's" of sustainability: remove, reduce, reuse, renew, recycle, revenue and read
- Maintain the competitiveness of the supply chain
- Agree, communicate, collaborate and coordinate supply chain and network imperatives with finance, HR, IT, sales and marketing functions and with key partners
- Initiate value-adding strategic and operational processes through effective project and task management
Training schedule
As part of this Degree Apprenticeship programme, delivered in partnership with Leeds Trinity University, you will be required to attend university sessions in Leeds or Upminster approximately every 2-3 months. This will involve occasional overnight stays, typically for one or two nights. Travel and accommodation arrangements will be organised by GKN Aerospace, and reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.
More training information
- Fully funded Degree in Supply Chain Leadership in partnership with Leeds Trinity University
- Structured four-year rotational development programme
- Ongoing mentorship and support from experienced professionals
- Opportunity to take on real responsibility and contribute to business-critical activity
Requirements
Essential qualifications
A Level in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Analytical skills
- Team working
- Microsoft 365
About this employer
GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.6bn in 2025. There are no limits to where you can take your career.
https://joinus.gknaerospace.com/early-careers/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
- Flexible working hours, including early finish on Fridays
- Access to benefits including Cycle to Work, Virtual GP, and wellbeing support
- Mentorship and access to career progression opportunities
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
- A career in supply chain and operational leadership
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000040922.
Apply now
Closes in 27 days (Monday 3 August 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.